Architecture

When building a house, the foundation is critically important to ensuring not only the success of the outcome but the lifespan of the structure. Similarly, when you're building a technology solution, it is important to architect a solution which will ensure that what you are creating is known and you can find a partner (like Sharing Minds!) to help turn the plans into reality.

With many years across many industries and solution deployments, Sharing Minds has developed a customer-first focus on designing solutions, where the architecture is focused on the outcomes the business requires, rather than just 'using' the latest technology.

But just like creating a set of house plans, creating a solution architecture has many moving parts and variables that need to be taken into account. This may include:

Requirements DefinitionBefore doing anything else, you need to define your requirements. Use architects to get as much information as possible around the processes and outcomes required by the solution.

Platform DefinitionThese days there are more than a handful of options when you're looking at what platform and applications to use in your solution (including how to match them). A good architect will have many years of experience in multiple platforms to help you make the best choice for the years ahead.

Governance PlanEven small solutions these days have many moving parts and lots of users interacting with them. Good architecture works to form a foundation of good governance. Make sure to create governance so that when your users begin using the solution, it is used consistently and without ambiguity.

Migration Strategy While it is true that migration is a separate task to architecture, it also has a strong reliance upon what is designed in order to get the information in (think in terms of the house: your furniture needs to fit in the designed door, or you'll need new furniture that does).

Logical ArchitectureWhen you build a house, you rely on your architect to figure out how big to make the rooms and where to logically put your light switches. In a technology solution, you also need your solution architect to figure out how to structure the information to go in the solution.

ExtensibilityHow many times has your organisation created a technology solution that reaches its end of life because no one thought about what technology or process innovations are coming down the line? Good architecture takes the things that are not known into account to create extensible solutions that change with technology or with the definition of new business outcomes.

There are other areas that we can also talk about including development methodologies, deployments and change management processes as well as testing and release processes that are also covered in architecture as well.

Sharing Minds' architects have many years of experience in crafting solutions for organisations. If you are contemplating a new technology solution or are creating a new solution for your organisation, begin your process today and contact us to get your plans started.